Hey you! My fellow photographers and small business owners! What’s the one thing that you never have time for? What’s that one thing you don’t set an alarm or a reminder for?
It’s YOU.
What do I mean? Of course you make time for you. YOU are the one doing all the things AND the stuff. So you feed and clothe yourself and keep yourself caffeinated going from one to do list to the next to keep yourself and your business alive.
But sometimes, as I found for myself, you need just a LITTLE BIT more. More sleep, more REAL food, more exercise so that your business isn’t just what you DO, but it’s an expression of WHO YOU ARE.
That healthy, knockin’-your-clients’-socks-off business-owner you know yourself to be! So let’s talk about some healthy routines, shall we?
I feel like my current health and wellness routine has draaaastically changed from last year. During the previous year, I was not very healthy or health-minded. I didn’t work out very much because I simply didn’t think I had the time to do that.
I was waking up every day with a huge to do list and couldn’t find the time in the morning to just go out for a run or to the gym.
Frankly, running and going to the gym sounded reeeaaaally boring to me. I also never felt like any of those activities were making important changes to my body which left me feeling completely unmotivated to work out.
When it came to my diet, there were definitely a lot more unhealthy foods that I just kept eating. I also didn’t give a lot of thought to the products I was using: how they are created and if they’re cruelty and paraben free. It’s important for us as business owners, as women, and everyone in general to be healthy, increase in awareness, and practicing healthy habits.
I was NOT working out. I wrote down how many times I worked out last year and it amounted to maybe fourteen times. Of course, I was still getting exercise, from hiking and all the physical exertion that comes with elopement photography, adventure sessions, and wedding days too.
To get my body healthy and fit I switched over to this wonderful app that my friend Brittany Gingritch—she’s a health and nutrition specialist and is just amazing—recommended called ClassPass.
I have been using it since January and I’m going to tell you–it is probably the BEST THING I’ve ever gotten in my entire life. I get sooooo bored at the gym because I never know what to do and I always feel like people are watching me.
With ClassPass, it’s an app that lets you go to any class you want at any independent studio.
For example, I have been going to CycleBar every week and have found that I really thrive in spin classes. I also like the competitive aspect of the races and seeing your stats on the board. I’m really bad at pushing myself on my own which is why I like the types of classes that PUSH ME.
I pay $50 a month and I get 27 credits and those credits can be applied to any class. One CycleBar class is five or four credits, so I just look for a class, schedule it, and go! The same goes for any other class like Barre, yoga, or there’s a lot of Pilates classes too.
It’s been a really solid system because when you book your class you can’t cancel it unless it’s 12 hours in advance. If you miss the class you get charged $20. It’s quite an incentive to stay in the mindset of “I have to go to this class!” That’s been a really great new motivator for me! So, if you are interested in trying out ClassPass just use my referral link and get your first month free!
The main thing I’ve noticed with how my workout routine has affected my life is I come home from working out and I just feel sooooooo ENERGETIC! I’m ready to go and I have so much energy to do ALL the work that’s set out before me. I’m ready to sit down and answer all of my emails as I get started with my workday.
The motivation to get work done was EXTREMELY lacking for me last year. I did not have the motivation to get up or the energy to sit down and do what I needed to do. Whereas, when I’m working out, I’ve totally seen a difference in motivation. So that’s been really cool!
Not much has changed with my diet besides becoming more intentional with what I consume. If you know me, you know I am such a HUGE grilled cheese fan. I LOVE mac-n-cheese, cheese quesadilla—give me all of it! It’s really great to have, but it’s not healthy to have every day. So, I have been limiting the amount I have to at most twice a week. I won’t go over that because cheese isn’t really great for you and there’s a lot of fat in there too. So, everything in moderation is really great.
I also have a REALLY BIG sweet tooth so I’ve been cutting back on the amount of dessert I eat. I always crave chocolate at night so every now and then I’ll snap off two little pieces from the really big dark chocolate bars from Trader Joe’s. They are gracious slices so one cube is really filling and enough to satisfy the craving.
I LOVE food and I don’t want to cut out the food that I love in my life. I feel like life’s too short to do that. I still eat what I love which includes eating cheeseburgers on occasion. But, working out balances that too, and as long as you’re not eating that stuff every single day, I think you’re going to be OK.
The other thing that I’ve really been trying to incorporate more into my diet is more nutritional food, which is something I was lacking this past year. I now have a lot more spinach, and I make smoothies in the morning for breakfast instead of waffles or cereal. I’ll make a blueberry smoothie with oatmeal, throw some spinach in there, throw in some all-natural protein powder and that’s my breakfast! I’m getting some really great nutrition with the berries and the spinach because iron is good for women, so spinach is probably your best bet!
I’ve noticed if I cook at home and I get the real stuff, not the processed stuff that says “vegetables,” but instead I get ACTUAL vegetables from the produce section and chop them up making a vegetable medley, this makes a huge difference in my eating habits.
Instead of eating out all the time, spending a lot of money, and not knowing where your food came from, you can grocery shop and cook at home to have full reign over what you eat. I’ve definitely been more intentional with making meals at home even though I LOVE going out!
I wanted to change my hair regimen this year because my hair was really loooooong and I got it trimmed by my cousin, Jackie. She did a really great job of trimming my hair and getting my ends a little healthier. But, I still noticed my hair was getting super greasy all the time and I felt that I couldn’t go two days without washing it.
Products like Pantene or other really big-name products use a lot of unhealthy chemicals, especially if you are washing every single day. Your hair is actually going to get more greasy because these popular products actually strip all the oils your hair needs to stay healthy. Your hair then tries to compensate for that by actually making it more greasy!!!
So one change I made in my life was to wash my hair less—now I do it every three to four days. I’ve noticed a substantial difference with the greasiness of my hair but it still looks shiny and healthy!
Part of this shine is due to a collection of products I have started using called Prose. These products have basically CHANGED MY LIFE!! They are paraben and cruelty free—we don’t want to harm animals and the planet! We want to make sure that we are doing our due diligence to put our money towards products that are good for everyone.
The cool thing about signing up for Prose is they have a really long questionnaire that determines your hair needs based on your water and whether your climate is more humid or dry. They take all of this into consideration and then create YOUR OWN little shampoo and conditioner. I’ve been using these for about a month now and I’ve gotta say, I’m REALLY HAPPY with these products!
I’m using the conditioner a bit more than the shampoo because I’m not washing my hair as often. Instead of scrubbing my hair with shampoo every time I shower, I just rinse it off and use some conditioner if I need it. By day three my hair is still pretty bouncy, shiny, and it feels clean due to Prose’s all-natural products! I gotta say, I LOVE my hair now!
The last product I have implemented that has changed my life in ways I didn’t think I needed is my toothbrush.
For the past five years I have been using a normal toothbrush where I juar scrub my own teeth. I thought it was working fine for me because I didn’t have any cavities or other issues. I’d go to the dentist and they would tell me to floss and point out some spots I needed to focus on but for the most part my teeth were fine.
I never really thought I needed an electric toothbrush until recently when I was in the market for one that actually works.
I didn’t want one that was just pretty to look at but actually does the job RIGHTt. I was lucky enough to find my cariPro ultrasonic electric toothbrush and after the first use I could FEEL the difference in my teeth! They were squeaky clean and I haven’t had squeaky clean teeth for a veeeeeery long time.
That was automatically the first thing I noticed and I thought “Wow! This really works! Electric toothbrushes are great!” The other thing about this toothbrush that I really like is it has five brush modes: clean, white, massage, gum care, and there’s a sensitive mode if you have more sensitive teeth. I use the clean mode the most and I feel like it’s been really helping my teeth. That’s been awesome!
Speaking as a girl who’s struggled with gum disease, I knew that I also needed an electric toothbrush for that and this one has a massage mode that helps clean your gums a little more. If we don’t take care of our gums, then we could lose our teeth or we could get sick.
Obviously, I don’t want to be sick, and as wedding photographers we especially can’t afford to be sick! One of the things that really prevents sickness is a healthy oral hygiene routine. So, an electric toothbrush is a good thing to have!
If you are ready to take the leap for an electric toothbrush use my code “danipurington20” to get 20% off your first cariPro toothbrush and get yours today!
Nothing intense here, I really just wanted to talk about what I’ve been implementing into my life and what’s been working. My workout and my product use has definitely been something that I’ve been focusing a lot on this year. I want to use more natural products that are not harming the environment or animals.
As I move forward, I’m going to be on the hunt for daily things that I can remove and replace in my life with more of a holistic mindset.
For business owners, it is really important for your health and wellness to take top priority in your daily life. It’s really valuable not only for us, but also for our clients because we need to show up healthy to be able to serve them well. We need to be motivated to have the best energy we can give which is what they deserve with this process!
YOU deserve to be well cared for that you may produce the amazing product we already know your clients will LOVE!
If you have tips or trick of your own that have helped your health, please leave a comment below! 😉